Weird Science (film)
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| Weird Science | |
|---|---|
 A film poster for Weird Science. |
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| Directed by | John Hughes |
| Produced by | Joel Silver |
| Written by | John Hughes |
| Starring | Anthony Michael Hall Kelly LeBrock Ilan Mitchell-Smith Bill Paxton Robert Downey Jr. Robert Rusler Judie Aronson Suzanne Snyder Vernon Wells Britt Leach |
| Music by | Danny Elfman Ira Newborn Jimmy Iovine |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Editing by | Chris Lebenzon Scott K. Wallace Mark Warner |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 2, 1985 (USA) |
| Running time | 94 min. |
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Weird Science (1985) is a popular 1980s teen film written and directed by John Hughes.
The title song was written and performed by American New Wave stalwarts Oingo Boingo.
Taglines:
- It's all in the name of science. Weird Science.
- It's purely sexual. (UK)
- If you can't get a date, make one!
- They went from zeroes to heroes in one fantastic weekend.
The title "Weird Science" was taken from the famous pre-Comics Code 1950s EC Comics magazine Weird Science.
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[edit] Plot summary
Two super-nerds, Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), unable to find girls on their own, use a computer to design the perfect woman. Lacking sufficient processing power, they hack into a US Government mainframe and use its power to create a computer simulation of "the perfect woman" in order to place her in "real life sexual situations" and see how she reacts. A bizarre electrical storm (à la Frankenstein, their inspiration) follows, and they find themselves unable to shut the computer off.
Mysteriously, the result is "Lisa" (Kelly LeBrock), a real-life woman (who emerges from a red fog in a closet). She is a sexed-up but deeply caring "80's babe" with Einstein's IQ, David Lee Roth's attitude and inexplicable supernatural powers. Self-aware from the moment of her creation, Lisa sets about revealing their inner coolness, transforming Gary and Wyatt from nerds into men through a series of wacky and bizarre adventures, the centerpiece of which is summoning the cast of The Road Warrior to crash a party at Wyatt's house.
[edit] Other facts
- John Hughes wrote this film in two days.
- Anthony Michael Hall makes a reference to a girlfriend from Canada. His character "Brian" from The Breakfast Club (1985) also makes a reference to an imaginary girlfriend from Canada.
- Kelly LeBrock initially turned down the role of Lisa, as she was vacationing in France at the time and was "having too much fun riding horses on the beach".
- The Time Magazine that Gary and Wyatt accidentally create a nuclear missile from is the January 31, 1983 issue.
- Shermer, the fictional town in which many of John Hughes' movies are set, is derived from the name of a village (Shermerville) outside Chicago, Illinois. The community is now called Northbrook, and is an affluent suburb. Shermer Road can be found there.
[edit] Goofs
- Gary's shoes at his headboard change positions between shots
- When everything is being "sucked" out of the house, the girl playing the piano is obviously being pulled by a cable.
- Right before Ian and Max drop the Icee on Wyatt and Gary, the cup is filled well over the top. Seconds later when they drop it, the level of the liquid in the cup has dropped considerably.
- Lisa gets a beer for Gary and puts it down in front of him at the beginning of the scene when she meets his parents. A minute later, the glass of beer is gone.
[edit] Criticisms and comparisons to other Hughes films
Weird Science is generally not viewed as favorably as John Hughes’ other coming of age teen films, such as The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Sixteen Candles. For example, the movie is rated at 53% on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, whereas the other aforementioned Hughes films have a combined average rating of almost 91%.
The humour in the film is aimed more at teenage boys, and centers around the male fantasy of creating the “perfect woman”. Similarly, the comedy is broader and raunchier than in other Hughes films, and there are no strong teenage female characters.
Despite this, the film shares some themes common to all of Hughes' classic teen films. Examples of these include the virtue of being true to oneself, the value of friendship, and the difficulties faced by those who are different.
[edit] TV series
- Main article: Weird Science (TV series)
A television show based on the film debuted in 1994 and ran for 88 episodes. Following the same basic plot as the movie it starred Vanessa Angel as Lisa, Michael Manasseri as Wyatt, John Mallory Asher as Gary, and Lee Tergesen as Chet.
[edit] Audio sample
- Oingo Boingo - Weird Science excerpt (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- An excerpt from Oingo Boingo's Weird Science theme music
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
[edit] External links
Sixteen Candles • The Breakfast Club • Weird Science • Ferris Bueller's Day Off • Planes, Trains & Automobiles • She's Having a Baby • Uncle Buck • Curly Sue
